Are You Still My One Love, Edward?
by Mor'DuTheBronyBear
Summary: Sequel to My One Love. Edward, Alphonse, Daniel, and Alfons have been in California for five years, enjoying America and all of the amazing research opportunities that Alfons has been presented with. What drama will ensue for our two couples? Pairings: Elricest, slight AlxOC, slight HeiEd. UPDATE: The link in Ch. 9 is now on my profile to make things easier :)
1. Brothers on the Sand

**A/N: If you're reading this sequel, thanks! This is set about 5 years after they arrived in California, and Alfons has started to research with the professor. Any relations whatsoever between my Dr. Smith character and a real-life Dr. Smith are purely coincidental.  
**

A pair of brothers and a black haired man between them could be seen on the sunny California coast that morning, enjoying the sun and each other's company. They and another blond, who was currently at work, had been in California for about 5 years, and they had no intentions of returning to Germany.

The three men on the beach were Edward Elric, his younger brother Alphonse, and Al's boyfriend Daniel. Their friend and Ed's boyfriend, Alfons Heiderich, was at the University of California at the moment, where he researched with the world-famous engineering professor, Dr. Smith. Alfons was an aspiring rocket scientist, and back in Germany, Dr. Smith had seen one of Al's rockets and was very impressed; so impressed, in fact, that he invited all four men to California so Alfons could study alongside him. Alfons was thrilled at the opportunity.

Over the last five years, the two rocket engineers had accomplished quite a lot. They had even drawn a rough blueprint of a full-sized rocket, large enough to carry about five men into space and bring them home safely, and maybe even stop on the moon while they're up there. Of course, it would take many more years for this blueprint to come to life.

"Hey, Al, can you go make some more lemonade?"

Edward had just woken up from a lazy nap in the sun, and he was really thirsty.

Alphonse just rolled onto his side away from his big brother and snuggled closer to Daniel and mumbled, "I did it last time, Brother. Get Daniel to do it."

"Fine. Daniel, can you make us some more lemonade? All you have to do is mix the powder and sugar with the water. It's not that hard."

Daniel was snoring softly next to Alphonse, not hearing any of Edward's words. Alphonse smiled at him affectionately and shook him lightly.

"Wake up, Dan."

Daniel cracked his eyes and groaned when the bright sun blinded him.

"What is it, babe?"  
"Brother wants more lemonade. Can you go make us some?"

He sat up and kissed Al on the cheek.

"Alright. I'll be back soon."

He got up and stretched, his skin shining with slight perspiration due to the heat of the sun. His black hair was in a ponytail with a few stray strands of hair sticking out near his forehead. He was the only one out of the three men that didn't have bangs hanging on his face. He preferred it slicked back neatly, and it accented the shape of his face nicely.

Once Daniel was gone, Ed and Al were left alone. Al gave Edward an almost longing look, and Edward smirked. He crawled over from where he lay on a blue beach towel to Al's green one and gently pushed Al onto his back. Then he leaned down and captured Al's lips in a soft kiss. He pulled up for a minute to say, "This beach is beautiful, Al, but you're even more beautiful." Al blushed and smiled.

"And you're an amazing kisser, Brother. You're just as amazing as I thought you would be." Then he wrapped his hands around Ed's neck and pulled him back onto the younger man's lips. This time the kiss was deeper, Edward's tongue diving into his little brother's mouth, Al moaning a little at the sensation. Al started to absently stroke Ed's bangs that were hanging down on his face. Then his hands moved to his back, rubbing with experienced hands, since they had done this before many times. He went lower and gave his ass a light squeeze, and Edward grinned into the kiss. Then Al's hand traveled up so he could massage his fake arm's port lightly.

When they broke away from the kiss, Edward went back to his towel. They sat in silence for a few moments before Al broke the silence.

"I still think we should tell Daniel and Alfons, Brother. They wouldn't be disgusted. We've already told them before! It won't be anything too shocking."

Ed let out a sigh and rested his chin on the palm of his hand, his elbow propped up on his knee as he sat cross legged.

"It would hurt them, Al. They think we still love them. If we just go up to them and say, 'Hey, we're back in that incest relationship we told you guys about 5 years ago,' they wouldn't like it, and I don't want to see either of them get hurt. It's best we leave it as it is, at least until Alfons is done with his rocket research. I feel like if I told him now, he might get too depressed to work, and I care too much about him to let that happen."

"You're right, Edward. I hate to even think about how hurt Daniel might be. I still love him, but as a friend. Is that how you feel about Alfons too?"

"Yeah, and I never like to see my friends upset. Although, I'm starting to get afraid that if we wait too long, when we finally do tell them, they'll be upset that were lied to them for so long. Especially since we're both having sex with them. They'd be crushed to find out that that was a lie too!"

Al blushed a little at the mention of sex. Yes, he and Daniel had done it a few times, and he enjoyed it immensely. But he, just like Edward, always wished it was with his brother, not his current lover.

They knew it was wrong, but it just didn't bother them. They had come to terms with their feelings long before then, while Al was still in the armor. It just seemed normal. Of course, to other people, it was anything but normal. But it was a secret they were willing to keep.

"Yeah, that definitely makes things more difficult, Edward."

Edward crawled over to Al once more and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"But no matter how difficult things are, we'll work them out like we always have. Don't worry, Al."

They heard the door to the condo nearby slam shut and they separated; Daniel was coming back with the lemonade.

**A/N: Wooooooo plot twist! Anyway, Elricest will be present throughout the whole story, so if you don't like it, leave now.**

A/N: Hello this is Minato's legacy and this plot twist is evil! Anyway the story will now be an Elricest! MWHAHAHAH! Enjoy :)

A/N: MorDu is back now. Sorry about that. My friend Minato's legacy attacked my iPod for a brief moment. Needless to say, she's not too happy about the return of Elricest. She's an even bigger shipper of HeiEd than I am, and that's saying a lot. 


	2. Doctor Smith

"Hey, Mr. Heiderich! Where do you want the metal rails you ordered?"

Alfons sat at his desk in the large university engineering warehouse, hunched over his blueprints. He was intensely focused; he couldn't afford any mistakes if his rocket was going to travel into space.

_Hmmmmm... The fuel tank obviously needs to be far from the flame pipes to avoid a nasty situation. Gas and flame don't mix._

He picked up his pencil and scribbled a few lines with arrows pointing in various places, writing a short written explanation so the builders would understand his less-than-neat directions. Since he was so focused on getting everything just right, he didn't hear the delivery man's call. He and Dr. Smith had used some of their research funds to buy the starting amounts of metal railing so the frame of the rocket could be assembled.

"Mr. Heiderich! Hey!"

"What is all the yelling for?"

"Oh! Good morning, doctor!"

Dr. Smith strode into the huge tin-roofed building, looking slightly irritated.

"I'm trying to get Mr. Heiderich's attention, but he can't hear me or something. I don't know."

The doctor spotted Alfons at his desk and said, "Yes, he's a bit too focused on his blueprints at the moment. Just leave the railing by the door, sir. Thank you."

The delivery man shouted something to the man driving the truck that backed up to the large warehouse door. One by one the rails were unloaded carefully, Alfons still oblivious to everything except his blueprints.

Dr. Smith went over to his partner and did nothing more than tap him lightly on the shoulder, but the result of that small action was explosive. Alfons jumped out of his seat and let loose a series of curses, eyes wide and his body shaking slightly.

"Take it easy, Alfons! I was just coming to check on your progress!"

Alfons swallowed thickly and nodded, sitting back down at the desk.

"Sorry, Dr. Smith. I was just-"

"Too focused, I know. It happens to me all the time. Just don't forget to take a break every once in a while."

He patted Alfons lightly on the shoulder. "Anyway, the delivery men just arrived with the rails for the frame. We can get started on the frame as soon as you're ready."

"We'll be ready soon, don't worry. I'm just sorting out a few last-minute things to make sure everything is perfect."

"I knew I made the right decision when I asked to come to America, Alfons. Together, we'll create a masterpiece greater than any other. We'll explore the stars, discover new planets. It'll be our dream come true."

Alfons smiled. "I still can't thank you enough for the opportunity to work with you, sir. I never thought my research would ever take off, no pun intended."

The older man chuckled a little. "Well, you've been here for a while. Why don't you go take a lunch break now?"

"Okay. I bet my friends are missing me by now. I've been here since 5 this morning."

Alfons collected his things and said his goodbyes and left.

Edward, Daniel, and Alphonse were still on the beach when Alfons got home. As he approached the front door, he glanced over to the sand and saw them sleeping on their beach towels, side by side. A smirk formed across his face when he thought of a way to get them to wake up. He unlocked the door and went through the living room to his room and changed into his swim trunks and took of his shirt so he could swim once the others were awake. Ever since they arrived in California, Alfons had gotten pretty good at swimming. It was one of his favorite things to do, next to his rocket research.

He exited his bedroom (well, his and Ed's) and went to the kitchen and filled up a plastic cooking bowl with water. Then he left the beachside condo and locked the door behind him.

He approached the three snoozing men slowly, tiptoeing through the warm sand, trying to keep his feet from rustling it too much. He was going to get those lazy guys up (his) way. He stood in front of them and heaved the bowl back gently so that the water didn't escape. Then, he threw it forward with all his strength, soaking them in cold water. Al and Dan sat straight up and Ed jumped to his feet.

"What the fuck, Heiderich?!"

Alfons couldn't hold in his snickers that he'd been holding since he left the condo anymore. He burst out laughing and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you're adorable when you're wet?"

A ghost of a smile shown on Edward's face, but he still crossed his arms and let out a little "hmph".

"I can't believe you guys are sleeping on a beautiful day like this with the ocean right in front of you! Let's go swimming!"

Alphonse wiped his now damp bangs out of his face.

"It feels like we just did!"

Daniel stood up and walked over to Alfons and punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"The wake up call sucked, my friend, but swimming sounds pretty fun."

Ed and Al mumbled their agreement, and the four men were soon running into the water together, Alfons diving right under like a fish.

Alfons cut through the water smoothly, passing a sea turtle as he dove a little deeper. Soon, however, he had to come up for air, but when he did, the other men were standing in the shallows staring at him with gaping mouths. They had seen him swim before, but never that deep.

Al saw them staring and grinned.

"Didn't know I could swim like that, could you?"

They all nodded their heads no.

Al shrugged. "I guess I'm just really happy about how much progress the professor and I are making. At the rate we're going, the actual rocket could be built and in the air in no time!"

Edward swam over to Alfons and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're definitely pretty damn good at what you do."

**A/N: First of all, my thanks goes out to Minato's legacy for helping me brainstorm. We spent a good 20 minutes in biology class coming up with ideas together. I had a few of my own, but she really helped me get things going.**

**I hope people are enjoying this so far. It's going to get really intense soon.**

**Until next time,**

**MorDuTheBronyBear**


	3. Dinner

**Warning: alcohol consumption, dirty talk, and the usual cursing. (Just remember from here on out that there will almost always be cursing.) Even though Alphonse is 12 or 13 in the anime, in this AU, he is 22 by now.**

"Woah... This place is really nice, Edward."

Alfons was the first to speak as the four men stood in front of the restaurant, admiring the beautiful architecture. There was a dark red awning above a red carpet that led to the door. Next to the door, two lion statues sat in a sitting position, looking almost as if they were ready to come to life and was the Velvet Ruby, one of the swankiest eateries in California. It was famous for its frequent celebrity visitors, and it was almost necessary to reserve a table about 3 months in advance since it was always so packed; Edward had done just that. He had made the reservation long ago for that particular night, and he was glad he did. If he had waited any longer, all the available tables would've been snatched up.

Edward sighed, almost sounding a little sad.

"Anything for you, Alfons."

Alfons noticed the tone of his voice but didn't ask what he might be sad about.

Daniel whispered something to Alphonse, and he blushed madly and punched him in the arm playfully. Alfons guessed it was something regarding what they would do once they were back home. He hoped he would have some "luck" with Edward as well. They hadn't done anything in a couple of weeks, and he was hoping that maybe a few drinks would get Edward in the mood again. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the others going in without him. He speed-walked in an attempt to catch up with them, but it was too late. As soon as he entered the large building, his senses were overwhelmed with all the people talking and the various scents of perfume and cologne. He gulped and tugged at his bow tie, trying to loosen it a little. If Edward hadn't called him sexy in it once, he would never put the damn thing on again.

_Dammit, I need to find the others!_

His breathing picked up a little as he scanned the room for any sign of that golden hair he so loved. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief when he spotted Ed and walked over to the bar where they were. They hadn't come to eat as much as they had come to drink. Ed had said that as soon as Alphonse was old enough, they would go out drinking together. Now that he was, there they were.

"Sorry, guys. I got lost."

The others smiled at him. "It's alright, Heiderich," Edward said. "We shouldn't have left you like that."

Alfons shook his head. "No, it was my fault. I was thinking too deeply."

Edward patted the barstool next to him and Al sat down and ordered a glass of vodka.

"Still thinking about work?"

Al blushed a little. "No, it wasn't about anything like that."

Edward smirked as he realized what Al meant. A blush like that only happened from a certain kind a thought, and he knew exactly what his boyfriend had been thinking of.

"Maybe if you're a good boy, Heiderich," he said teasingly.

Al smirked and leaned over and licked Ed's ear and whispered,

"I will be if you are, Elric, but you're known for being bad at times. You wouldn't want to be_ punished,_ would you?"

Ed shuddered and moaned softly at the mention of playing their little "game" and Alfons did an internal fist pump. But before he could say anything else, they were interrupted by their drinks being served. They thanked the bartender and grabbed their drinks and went to find their reserved table. The bar was too crowded to stay seated at. Alphonse let out a slightly irritated sigh.

"Ugh, we should've found our table _before _we got the drinks. It'll be a miracle if we don't spill them in this crowd!"

The other three murmured in agreement as they maneuvered between the endless throngs of people, holding the drinks out in front of them and walking as steadily as they could.

At last, they reached the table and sat down, placing their drinks in front of them. A waiter came to take their orders, but none of them were really hungry.

They chatted for a while, and had a few more drinks. After about his fifth one, Daniel was definitely sure about what he wanted from Alphonse. So, he suggested they call a cab and go home, and the others agreed. They left a tip on the table and paid the bill at the door and climbed in the cab that had been called for them.

Once home, the four men spilt up into their respective pairs, Ed and Alfons going into their room and Daniel and Alphonse stumbling into their bedroom, quite tipsy, falling on the bed and kissing passionately and heavily.

Daniel broke the kiss for a second to chuckle at a drunk Alphonse's behavior; as far as he knew, it was the brunette's first experience with alcohol, and Daniel couldn't wait to take things even further.

"What's so funny?"

Daniel smiled and untied Al's ponytail, letting the waves of golden brown flow over his shoulders.

"You're just adorably sexy when you're drunk." He captured Al's lips in a quick kiss before continuing, "We should do this more often."

He started to take off his belt, but Alphonse got an almost nauseous look on his face, and he was frowning.

"Are you okay? Are you gonna puke? Edward shouldn't have let you drink that much..."

Al shook his head no.

"No, it's not that. It's something worse than that."

Daniel was suddenly worried for his love, so he left his belt hanging undone in the loops and pulled Al against his chest in a gentle hug, stroking his hair the way he knew Al liked.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?We don't have do this if you don't want to. I just thought you enjoyed it."

Al pulled away from Daniel's grasp and shook his head again.

"It's not that I don't want to, I can't." He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair.

"We need to talk. All of us. Brother, Alfons, you, and I. There are some things we need to straighten out."

Edward and Alfons were on their bed, in the middle of devouring each other's mouths passionately when there was a knock on the door. Alfons pulled away from Edward and sighed.

"Dammit, things were just getting good..."

Edward chuckled. "Don't worry. Hopefully this won't take long." Then he raised his voice slightly and called, "Come in!"

A disheveled-looking Alphonse opened the door and said with a voice heavy with emotion, "Alfons, can you leave Brother and I alone for a moment? I need to talk to him."

**A/N: This chapter was fun to write. I don't know why, but it was. I personally liked the HeiEd dirty talk part. **

**Until next time,**

**MorDuTheBronyBear**


	4. Guilty Soul

**Warning: Adult situations (nothing too bad)**

Edward said, "What's wrong, Al?"

Alphonse just said, "A lot of things."

Edward didn't question what he meant. He just asked Alfons to leave the room.

"Of course I will. Call me when you two are done"

Alfons walked out of the bedroom and went to the living room, where he took a seat on the couch next to Daniel.

"Do you know what Al's upset about?"

Daniel just shrugged. "I don't know. I hope it's not something I said or anything. I mean, we were kissing, and then when I started to take things a little further, he got all sad-looking. I hope he's okay."

Back in the bedroom, Edward patted the mattress beside him.

"Come here, Al. Tell me what's wrong."

Al shut and locked the door and walked slowly over to where his brother sat. He knew his brother wasn't going to like what he had to say, but something needed to be done about their current situation.

He sat down and was silent for a few minutes; he didn't really know where to start. Suddenly, he felt Edward's real hand touch his cheek and pulled his face toward him for a kiss. His heart leaped into his chest as their lips touched gently and he couldn't help but smile. He always loved it when Edward kissed him. But soon he pushed Edward away so he could speak.

He took a deep breath and said, "Edward, we need to tell Alfons and Daniel about us now. I mean, right now. We don't need to lie to them anymore. The guilt is eating me alive anyway. Daniel wanted to have sex with me a second ago, but I just couldn't do it again. I can't lie to him anymore, Edward. I can't keep letting him think that I love him when I don't!"

Edward closed his eyes and sighed.

"I know, Al. They deserve to know."

A tear rolled down Alphonse's cheek.

"I'm just so worried, Brother. I love you more than anything in the world, but I'm so scared of what Daniel will say when we tell him! What if he hates me forever? I couldn't live with that! He's my best friend so I don't want to lose him but what if he leaves us and-"

His nervous rambling was stopped by a pair of lips pressing to his for a brief second.

"Please relax, Alphonse. I hate seeing you like this. I love you too, more than a big brother should love his little brother, but that's besides the point. The point is that you shouldn't be scared. You know I'm not a religious person, but I _do_ believe that everything happens for a reason. Maybe the reason for you and I being together is to get Alfons and Daniel out of our lives. I mean, I love both of those guys as friends, but if they take this the wrong way..." He paused to press a kiss to his baby brother's forehead, like the night they first admitted their feelings all those years ago, when that forehead was still cold metal. "...maybe they're not meant to be our friends. If they aren't willing to work this out with us, then maybe all of us don't need to live together anymore."

More tears fell from Al and Edward gently pushed him down so he was laying on the bed, and Edward lay back beside him. He took Al's hand and kissed each of his fingers and said, "But maybe they won't be too hurt. Maybe they'll understand."

Al rolled over on his side and snuggled closer to his big brother, burying his face in his neck and closing his eyes, enjoying the warmth and the scent of the man he loved more than anything. He started kissing Edward's neck sensually, sucking a little and leaving a red mark. Edward moaned softly and slipped his real hand under his brother's shirt, rubbing in circles and over his nipples occasionally, and he started kissing Al's neck the way he had done to Edward. Soon Al was moaning, his need for more showing in his pants. But Edward saw it and pulled away.

"We can't do that right now, Al. Maybe some other night, but not tonight."

He put a hand behind Al's back and helped him sit up, then placed a kiss on the top of Al's head. They waited a few minutes for Al's arousal to pass, and once it did, Edward said,

"Let's go."

The brothers got up and walked hand in hand to the bedroom door. Edward released his brother's hand to unlock it and open it. Then, they took a deep breath and walked out into the living room where Alfons and Daniel sat.

"Hey, you okay, Al?"  
"Well, Daniel, we all need to talk."

Alfons looked slightly confused, but he shrugged and scooted over to make room for the brothers. The couch was a little crowded, so Ed and Al moved to the love seat while Alfons and Daniel stayed on the couch. Edward decided he should be the one to start, since Alphonse got _really _nervous _really _quickly.

"There's something we need to tell you that we should've said a long time ago, but Al and I were too scared to do it. Recently, Al and I-"

He stopped when he heard Alphonse making gagging sounds next to him. Then the younger Elric jumped up and sprinted for the bathroom, muffled vomiting sounds coming from the other side if the closed door. They heard the toilet flush and heard him slam his fist into the door. Then they heard him shout "SHIT!"

"Uhhhh... Is he okay, Edward?"

"I think he's okay, Heiderich. He's just nervous. Either that, or I let him drink too much."

About five minutes later, Alphonse was back, looking a little pale.

"Sorry, guys."  
"It's fine, Al. Now, Edward, what were you saying?"

Edward opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when the phone rang. Alfons got up and went to the kitchen where it hung from the wall and brought the receiver to his face.

"Hello?" 

**A/N: Not much to say here, but here's chapter 4 :) Oh, and please review if you have any opinions about this fic, whether they be good or bad. I welcome all forms of constructive criticism.**

**Until next time,**

**MorDuTheBronyBear**


	5. Fire and Metal

"Is this Alfons Heiderich?"  
"Yes, that's me. How can I help you?"  
"Well, you see, your rocket engine here at the university is acting strangely. We were just putting it through a test run in the simulator as instructed by Dr. Smith before he left town for the weekend, but then it started malfunctioning. We need you to come down immediately and fix it. If you don't, it may be permanently damaged."

Alfons sighed and gripped the receiver harder. "Are you sure this can't wait? I'm in the middle of something very important!"  
"I'm sorry, sir, but you're the only one besides the doctor that can fix this, and he's gone. I apologize for the inconvenience, but if it isn't fixed, your whole operation could be over."

"Hold on for just a second." He put his hand over the receiver and looked toward the others. "I'm sorry, guys, but the university needs me to come right now."

Alphonse got up and crossed his arms. "But Alfons, we really need to talk! It's really important!"

Edward got up as well and silenced his brother. "He can't help it, Al. Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be back soon." He put a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back onto the couch, and he sat down beside him.

Alfons smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Edward. Like you said, I'll be home as soon as I can." Then he resumed his conversation with the man from the university.

"I'll be there right away. Just try to keep it in a stable condition until I get there."

He hung up the receiver before the other man replied and returned to the living room to kiss Edward deeply on the lips. "Don't worry. We'll have that talk as soon as I'm home. But don't wait up for me. I might be awhile."

Alfons parked the car and hurried towards the door. He knew better than anyone that these things had to be resolved quickly, or the damage could be permanent, resulting in the end of all his research and any hope of ever building a real rocket.

He pushed open the large metal door on the side of the building, a loud creak emerging from the hinges.

"I'll definitely oil that once all this nonsense is over."

There was a horrendous clanking sound unlike any he had ever heard before coming from inside that hit him like a ton of bricks as soon as he put a foot through the door. _Yes, something is _definitely _wrong._ He followed sound of the clanking to the room where the simulator was and he heard panicked shouts and warnings of "Don't come in the simulation room!"

Alfons gasped. Was he too late? Was it beyond repair already? Ignoring all the panicking, he rushed into the room to come face to face with flames. His breath caught in his throat as the heat came closer and closer, and voice from somewhere inside the flame and smoke filled room called,

"Mr. Heiderich! Be careful!"  
"Joe?! Why are you still here?! Get out of there!"  
"Well, I would, but I'm trapped!"

Alfons's heart rate quickened. _I've got to get him out!_ He got on his hands and knees and crawled, trying to avoid all the smoke. It was getting hotter, and also harder to breathe. Eventually, he made it to the back of the room where his friend was crouched in the corner, trying to avoid the flames desperately.

"Joe!"

The other man's expression of fear turned to hope when he saw Alfons. He crawled towards the blond and Alfons took his hand.

"Come on! We need to stay together!"

Joe nodded and let go of Alfons's hand so he could crawl properly. They went as fast as they could, the heat becoming more bad more intense. It was getting harder to breathe, and Alfons hoped they were almost to the door.

Once they were out of the smokey room, they stood up; Alfons coughing a little at the excess smoke. Through his heat and smoke-induced foggy brain, one key thing stuck out in his mind.

"What the hell happened to the engine?!"

Joe sighed and responded sadly,

"Before you could get here, it exploded, sir."

Alfons's world stopped when the explanation reached his soot covered ears. He could feel tears welling in his eyes, but he kept them in.

"How-"

He tried to ask how it had exploded like it did, but he stopped when he noticed that room had suddenly gotten a lot warmer. His breath stuck in his throat when he realized that the fire had spread out into the rest of the building.

"Joe, call 911! The engine is gone, and there's not much left to save, but this fire can't keep going. I'll help everyone else get out. Hurry!"

Joe did a little salute and hurried off to the office where the phone was. Alfons felt flames behind him and he jumped. He looked over his shoulder and saw them steadily consuming everything they could reach as if they were a pack of hungry dogs; his research notes, blueprints, everything. But that wasn't important right then. What was important was saving anyone he could, so he ran towards the middle of the room, where it was still relatively flame and smoke free. But as he stood and listened, trying to hear any voices of anyone that could've been trapped, a loud groan like the sound of metal being shifted sounded above him. He looked up, panting, and his eyes widened at the sight. One of the rails that had been tied to the ceiling with rope earlier that day was shifting dangerously as the flames grew taller and taller, eating away at the rope. Before he could think or move, he saw it come crashing towards earth, landing straight on top of him, and then everything was black, the calamity of the fire and the stifling of the smoke gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edward was awakened by a singing bird outside the window. He groaned and cracked his eyes to see that he was still alone in the bed that he normally shared with Alfons. When Alfons said he would be late, Edward had at least thought that he would be home by morning. He rolled over onto his back and yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Damn birds..."

He decided to get up and see if maybe Alfons was sleeping on the couch. Maybe he didn't want to wake up Edward when he got home so late. He went into the living room; the couch was facing away from the door to their room, so he walked around to the front gently, but he didn't see him. Then he heard sounds coming from the kitchen and saw that Daniel was awake and cooking breakfast.

"Good morning, Dan. Have you heard anything from Alfons?"  
"No, I haven't. I was about to ask you if you had either."

Ed shook his head no and walked over to the coffee pot to make himself some coffee. He needed something strong to get his mind off of last night. After Alfons left, Daniel had tried to get Edward to reveal what they were going to discuss, and Alphonse wanted to tell him, but Edward had been against it. He wanted Alfons to be there when they did it so he wouldn't have to repeat himself. Of course, Al had gotten pissed off, and he went to bed and slammed the door behind him. He couldn't blame his brother, though. Alphonse wasn't good at keeping secrets. He always cracked eventually. It had been like that since they were little. Edward could distinctly remember when they had raided the cookie jar together, and their mother had caught them.

_"Ed, Al, did you take cookies from the jar?"_

Edward had tried to make Al hide it better, but Al's mouth was full of cookies and there really wasn't a way to hide it. So little Al had mumbled,

_"Can't talk wif my mouf full."_

Trisha hadn't been mad, of course. She was too kind to get mad at something so harmless. But the situation they were currently in wasn't harmless at all.

"Want some eggs, Ed?"

Daniel snapped Ed out of his deep thinking. He saw the coffee had gotten done in the time he was thinking. He poured himself a cup and said, "Yeah, that'd be cool." He sat down and reached for the newspaper that hadn't been opened yet and was still in the package. He dumped it out and the front page headline caught his eye.

"Daniel, go wake up Alphonse. I'll watch the eggs."

Daniel gave him a confused look, but he didn't question Edward. He left the stove and disappeared into his and Alphonse's room.

Edward felt his hunger disappear as he reread the headline.

_"Engineering Department Fire at University; Man In Hospital In Coma"_

**A/N: I almost feel bad about putting Alfons in a comatose state, but it makes for an interesting story.**

**Much drama is about to ensue!**

**Until next time,**

**MorDuTheBronyBear**


	6. Flashback

**Warning: Adult situations**

_Alphonse took a seat on the couch beside his brother and turned to face him. Edward had a strange look on his face, like something was really bothering him. He said he had wanted to talk to Alphonse and to meet him at 2:30 that morning, when Alfons and Daniel had been asleep for a while to ensure that they wouldn't wake up and come into the living room and find them. _

_"What's wrong, brother?"_

_Edward let out a loud sigh and wiped his bangs out of his eyes. "Al, I need to tell you about something."_

_Alphonse could hear his brother's voice trembling with nervousness. He was suddenly a little worried; Edward Elric wasn't really the type to get nervous over just anything. His breath caught in his throat as a possibility of what the conversation was about presented itself in the back of his mind._

What if he knows what I've been confused about lately? Is he here to get mad at me for it? I can't help my feelings! I know I'm with Daniel, but I can't stop my feelings...

_Then he felt Edward grab his hands and squeeze them gently. "Al, you won't like what I'm about to say, but I can't hold this in any longer."_

_Alphonse waited for Edward to say whatever it was, but instead, Edward pressed his hands into Al's chest and pushed him down onto the couch roughly, rough enough to knock the breath out of him. He gazed up at his brother's expression of love. _Wait... Love?_ Al had only seen that look on his face once, and that was the night on the couch while he was still in the suit of armor._

Hold on a second. Does he...?

_As if Edward could read the younger's mind, he whispered softly, "I love you, Al."_

_Alphonse blushed on instinct and gasped as Edward's lips pressed to his on a deep kiss. As they kissed, Alphonse couldn't help but notice how right it felt. None of the kisses he and Daniel shared had ever felt this good or this... perfect._

Is this what I've wanted this whole time?

_He decided that yes, it certainly was. He had no idea Edward felt the same though. It was just one of those pleasant surprises life throws at you, Al supposed._

_When they broke apart, Alphonse was at a loss for words._

_"Al, I know this isn't right. We both have people that love us, but I just feel like I belong with you."_

_"Brother, I had no idea you felt the same!"_

_"So, you're not against this?"_

_Al reached up and thumped him lightly on the head._

_"Of course not, silly."_

Edward grinned and kissed him again. Then, like that night on the couch so long ago, he kissed his little brother everywhere, except this time he was able to feel every little touch, and the younger couldn't get enough of it.

"I've wanted this for so long, Brother. I just wish I had realized it sooner."

Edward pulled Al's shirt off and rubbed his chest, making circles with his hands. Then he licked and sucked the pale, perfect flesh, and delivered soft bites, Al moaning softy.

"B-Brother... Don't stop doing that..."

Ed moved his mouth to Al's nipples, alternating his sucking from one to the other. Whenever his mouth was on one, his hand fondled the other. All of his brother's stimulation was getting to Alphonse. Edward looked down and saw the tent in his brother's pants. Olive eyes met gold for a second before they kissed again, more passionate this time and full of the hunger that they had for each other. Their tongues wrestled together, Edward moaning; Alphonse saw that his brother's pants were starting to match his own.

They parted, panting heavily. The brothers knew what they wanted that night, but Edward stopped.

"Al, you know I want to, but tonight isn't a good night. Daniel or Alfons could come walking in, and we'd be screwed."

Al whimpered a little, but Edward continued.

_"But maybe I could do_ this._"_

He thrust his hips down suddenly, making Al moan a little louder. Their hips moved quickly against each other; the friction they were creating was incredible, and soon they were finished. They lay with Edward on top of his brother, their pants soiled with their release.

Alphonse kissed his big brother's head and whispered, "I love you, Edward. I'm yours, forever."

Al was shaken awake by Daniel, and he immediately tried to cover up his arousal with the comforter. He had been dreaming about the night that had taken place about three months earlier, when Edward had taken him totally by surprise by admitting that he was in love with Alphonse again. At that time, Al had been having conflicting emotions about who he loved. Every day, it seemed that his love for Daniel was diminishing, slowly but surely. He was in love with Edward, like he had been about 6 years prior, but he tried to fight it with every bone in his body for Daniel's sake. But after Edward admitted what he did, Al couldn't keep it in any longer. And he especially couldn't deny how he felt after what they did on the couch after their talk...

"Al, snap out of it!"

Daniel was looking at him with an amused expression.

"I mean, I know I'm attractive, but there's no need to stare." He leaned forward and kissed Al on the cheek. "Anyway, good morning. Your brother wanted me to wake you up. Don't really know why, but you might want to go see what he wants."

Al yawned and mumbled, "Okay. Just let me get up and change clothes."

Dan nodded and left, shutting the door behind him. Al let out the breath that he had been holding. He was so glad that Dan hadn't noticed his arousal, or he might've wanted to do something about it, and Al would have to turn him down again.

He threw the comforter off of him and sighed. As much as he wanted to, he wasn't going to take care of the tent in his boxers. He just hadn't been in the mood for that lately, so like the night before, he sat and waited. Once it was gone, he got up and stretched. As he was about to change into different clothes, he heard Daniel shout something in the kitchen. He shrugged it off and changed and went into the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom and brushed his teeth and hair. Then he went into the kitchen to see Daniel and Edward looking like they had just seen ghosts.

"Good morning, Brother. Are you okay?"

Edward said nothing. He just handed Al the newspaper that was still folded up. He narrowed his eyes the strange gesture and read the headline on the front page. His eyes widened and he gasped.

"You don't think it's Alfons, do you?"

"I don't know, but I think we should go down there and check. I mean, we haven't heard from him at all, and he's been gone for 12 hours!"

Al gulped and nodded. He sat down and scooped himself some eggs from the platter in the middle of the table. They ate in silence until they were done. Then, they got up, Alphonse going to take a shower and Edward doing the same. Daniel had already showered, so he stayed in the kitchen and washed the dishes up. Once they were all ready, they left the house, locking the door behind them. Alphonse had a pit in his stomach that was threatening to make his breakfast come back up. What if Alfons really _was_ in a coma? What would they do? What would Edward do? He shuddered to think how broken his brother/lover would be.

_Alfons, please be okay._

**A/N: This was a filler chapter, though it was one that was actually remotely important to the story. I just wanted to show how the brothers' relationship got started. Well how it got started _this _time.**

**Until next time,**

**MorDuTheBronyBear**


	7. Grief and Anger

"Alfons! Goddammit! Why didn't I tell you sooner...?" Edward slammed his false hand, which was balled into a fist, onto the table beside Alfons's bed, and the tears that fell from his grief-darkened eyes started to form a small puddle on the wooden surface.

Alfons was, in fact, the one in the coma that the newspaper told of. He lay in a bed in the Intensive Care Unit, a large bloodstained bandage wrapped around his head. According to the doctor that had treated him when he arrived at the hospital in an ambulance, a large metal rail that would be used for the rocket's frame fell from the ceiling and hit him on the head, knocking him out and cracking his skull instantly. He was in a coma, in stable condition, but he showed no signs of waking from his comatose state any time soon. Fluids from a bag that hung at his bedside dripped steadily and flowed into his arm through an IV, and his breathing was steady, as if he was sleeping peacefully. Edward hoped he was; he hoped any pain had evaded his blond friend.

Alphonse grabbed Edward's hand gently and held it, not letting go. Edward sniffed and turned his head to look at his brother and whispered,

"I fucked up, Al."

Alphonse just squeezed his big brother's hand tighter and used his other hand to gently move Edward's head to rest on Al's shoulder. He stroked the golden bangs and lowered his head so it rested on top of Ed's.

_I shouldn't be doing this, _Al thought. _Someone might suspect something, and _nobody_ can know about this relationship, except Daniel, of course. I just can't stand seeing him hurt._

He held back the almost overwhelming urge to kiss the top of his head, because that would certainly spell disaster. He moved his head before the urge could become too strong and he felt something damp on his shoulder; Edward's tears were flowing strong now, and his body heaved with silent sobs. Finally, Al couldn't take it anymore. He lightly nudged Ed and said, "Will you help me find the bathrooms, Brother?"

Ed raised his head off of Al's shoulder and nodded. They left the room quietly, leaving Daniel alone. They walked down the long white hall to the bathrooms they had passed earlier, and they went into the men's. Luckily, it was empty, and Alphonse stood in front of Ed. He looked at Al strangely and said, "What is it? Aren't you going to use the bathroom?"

Al shook his head no and leaned in for a kiss, hoping to comfort Ed, but Ed pushed him away.

"What the hell, Al? We're in a public bathroom! Anyone could walk in and see us!"

Al frowned and looked at the tiled floor of the clean bathroom and shuffled his feet. "I was trying to make you feel better."

Edward sighed irritably. "I don't need your comfort, Alphonse. I sure as hell don't deserve it. Now, if you're not going to take a piss, let's go back to Al's room."

Al stepped in front of the door and clapped his hands, pressing them to the door in an attempt to lock it with his alchemy, but then he felt like a fool for trying.

"Sorry. Bad habit that never went away."

E grumbled something inaudible and tried to shove Al aside so he could leave, but Alphonse stood his ground bravely against his pissed off older brother.

"Alphonse, _move_."

"No."

Edward clenched his fists, trying his best to keep his anger in check.

"I'm your older brother, so you listen to me! Now move, Alphonse!"

Alphonse growled, a scowl forming on his face as he got in a fighting stance.

"Not until you listen to _me _first!"

Edward finally lost it. He rushed at Alphonse, but Al dodged him. Edward hit the door with a thud and was turning around to attack again, but Al grabbed him by the arms with surprising strength and held him there while he spoke.

"Stop this now, Edward. You're in no condition to fight, and I don't want to fight you anyway." His voice dropped to a whisper. "You _are_ worth comforting, Edward. I love you with all of my heart, and I will _always_ be here for you. Now, I understand how you feel, but-"

He was cut off by Edward finally wiggling out of his brother's grasp and he spat, "Don't start that crap! You don't know how I feel! Alfons could be dead, and I was a bastard and cheated on him, with my own brother of all people, when all he ever did was love me! I'm terrible! I definitely don't deserve the love of _anyone_, so you may as well quit trying! You deserve someone better than me, someone like Daniel!"

Alphonse didn't respond, just stared at the broken man in front of him. Edward's hair was a mess, his cheeks were stained with tears, and his eyes had an almost crazed look in them.

_What's happening to him?_

Edward walked towards the door, and Al didn't even try to stop him that time. He stood in the bathroom for a while, thinking about what happened. Suddenly, another man came in and walked over to one if the urinals, and Al decided to leave so it wouldn't be awkward.

He left the bathrooms and walked slowly back to Alfons's room, a bit reluctant to face Edward again. But when he entered the quiet room, all he saw was Alfons and Daniel.

"Where's Brother?"

Daniel shrugged. "I thought he was with you."

"Well, he was, but then he left, and I thought he came back here."

Al sat down in the chair beside Daniel's and looked at Alfons. His heart clenched painfully at the sight of his unconscious friend. A tear rolled down his cheek, but he wiped it away before Daniel could see it. He didn't need Daniel making any romantic gestures whatsoever.

_Or maybe I should just quit lying. Brother said I should just stop trying to love him..._He shook his head. He couldn't do that! Edward needed him now, more than ever before, minus when their mother died and when he lost his limbs.

After a while of waiting for Ed to come back, Al and Dan bid their goodbyes to Alfons, even though they knew he couldn't hear them, and left for the condo.

When they got home, Edward was on the couch with a book over his face, snoring loudly. Al looked at his pocket watch and saw that it was 8:30. They'd been at the hospital practically all day. Daniel said he was going to take a shower and he'd wait for Al to come to bed.

Al walked over to Edward carefully so he didn't wake him up, and saw that the book was entitled Neurology for the Common Man. Al frowned slightly at the old sounding title; it must've been a pretty old book. He couldn't help but smile a little. Leave it to Edward to research as much as he could.

As Al turned to leave, Ed yawned and removed the book from his face to look at Al.

"Hi, Brother."

Ed didn't answer. He just put a bookmark on the page he was reading and got up and went to his room. Al sighed sadly; he knew how much pain his brother had to be going through, but he wouldn't push himself on Edward. That was not the way Edward Elric worked.

Later that night, as Al and Daniel lay beside each other in silence, a sharp knock cut through the air.

"Come in, Brother."

Edward opened the door and stood in the doorway; he had nothing on but his boxers and his hair was down. Al blushed darkly. He was so attractive...

"Al, will you sleep in my bed tonight?"

Al nodded and smiled. "Sure." Then he leaned over and, reluctantly, kissed Daniel on the head.

"See you in the morning, Dan."

Daniel cracked his eyes and said, "Yeah, goodnight babe."

Alphonse's heart tightened at Dan's affectionate words. He didn't know how much longer he could lie. He only kissed Daniel to keep any possible suspicion away.

He got out of bed and followed Edward into his bedroom. Edward lay down on his side and Al crawled in beside him, flipping onto his side so he wasn't facing Edward. He wanted to hold his brother, to kiss him all over and stroke his hair, anything to take his pain and stress away, but he didn't dare go near him.

_But then again, if he didn't want my affection, he wouldn't have asked me to come here..._

Just as he was about to roll over, he felt arms encircle him around his waist and warm breath in his neck.

"I'm sorry about today, Al. It's just that all these secrets are killing me, and the thought of Alfons..." He paused before continuing. "...dying before I can tell him about us hurts. I feel terrible and I just don't know what to do." Al frowned to himself.

_He shouldn't be apologizing. He didn't do anything wrong. He's hurting, and he can't help his actions)_

He slowly flipped around in Edward's arms and faced his love, kissing him lightly on the lips and pulling Edward as close as he could. Ed smiled and said, "I love you so much, Alphonse. And I appreciate everything you do for me. I don't know what I would do without you during this whole shitstorm."

"Keep in mind that if it wasn't for me, there might not have been a shitstorm in the first place."

Edward kissed the top of Al's head.

"Trust me, Alphonse. I don't regret anything. I belong with you, and that's where I'll stay."

**AN: I hope this chapter was pretty good. I spent a lot of time on it, so...**

**Until next time,**

**MorDuTheBronyBear**


	8. Showers and Phone Calls

Dr. Smith walked through the ash, pausing to watch it fly through the air with each step he took and disappear into the wind.

"It's a damn shame... That poor boy's in the hospital, and all our research is gone, reduced to nothing more than ash and dust."

He sighed and adjusted his glasses and his nose. "Well, I may as well try to find out what went wrong in our engine."

He walked from where he stood on the remains of the building to where the simulation room would have been. He saw traces of the wooden table that the engine sat upon and a few stray wires here and there from the simulation machine. The concept of a simulation machine was simple. One would connect the wires of the device being simulated and the simulator and adjust the horsepower, speed, and overall stress put on the device. Then, one would simply hit the start button, and the simulation would be an almost perfect duplication of what the device would eventually be put trough once construction and other preparations were over. That was what they had wanted to do with Alfons's engine, but it wasn't strong enough to withstand the tests. It had overheated, and before anyone could cut the power flow, it had exploded, and there was nothing they could do.

"We definitely miscalculated the amount of stress the system could take. Just goes to show how careful planning and calculations are everything when it comes to engineering of any sort."

He bent over and sifted through the ash, little bits and pieces of the engine turning up here and there, but there wasn't enough to salvage, much less to tell how the explosion happened. Kicking the ash frustratedly, he grumbled something under his breath and walked away from the pile of ruin.

"I suppose I could go visit Alfons, even if he can't hear me."

When the brothers woke up that morning, they were in bed together, Ed holding his little brother close to his chest. Alphonse yawned sleepily and opened his eyes to see Ed's perfect skin. He smiled and snuggled closer into his brother's warmth, accidentally waking Ed in the process.

"Morning, Al."

Alphonse separated himself from his brother and closed his eyes as a kiss was pressed to his forehead.

"How did you sleep, Brother?"

Ed sighed and rolled over into his back, a slight scowl forming on his face. "As well as a guilty man can sleep, I guess. What about you?"

Alphonse leaned over and kissed Ed on the lips. "Pretty good, especially since you were with me."

He then rolled over on his back like his brother had, and they lay there, side by side, in silence, until Al decided to tell his brother something that he needed Ed to remember, no matter how bad things got.

"You're not a bad person, Edward. I know you feel guilty about cheating on Alfons, but there's nothing you can do about it. You didn't want to hurt him on purpose; I know you didn't. I'm sure that Alfons will wake up, and when he does, he'll be completely fine with all of this."

He closed his eyes as he waited for a reply from Edward, but all he heard was the rustling of sheets. He opened his eyes to see Edward sitting on the side of the bed. Then he got up and headed for the bathroom, looking slightly irritated.

"Brother, I thought you said last night that you didn't regret any of this. Isn't that true?"

Ed stopped, and with his back still turned to his little brother, he replied, "I don't regret anything, Al, because I love you. But don't you get it? I'm a horrible, heartless bastard because _I don't regret anything._ I should feel something, something that feels like maybe I shouldn't be with you, but I don't. It feels right to be with you and not Alfons, and that's why I'm a bad person."

Without another word, he left the room to take a shower, and Al remained in bed, thinking about his brother's problem. He understood why Edward felt so bad, but he didn't know how to make him feel better. He had his own issues to deal with, like his continuous lies to Daniel. He couldn't keep up his deception for too much longer before Daniel was bound to get suspicious. Before he and his brother got together again, he and Daniel would have sex at least twice a week, but ever since his feelings for Edward had rekindled, he had been avoiding sex at all costs for the past couple of months. He hated to be so cruel, but he couldn't deceive Daniel in that way. Lying about loving him was bad enough, but having sex while lying about his feelings was even worse, and Alphonse refused to sink that low. He wished he could tell Daniel, but he knew how much Edward wanted to wait, so he would be patient.

He decided to ask Edward if they could sleep together every night to keep Daniel away from him. He got out of bed and pulled on a T-shirt that was lying on the floor nearby. He figured Ed wouldn't mind if he used one of his shirts for just that one time. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked.

"Edward? Can I come in?"

He heard the water in the shower stop and heard Edward call, "Yeah, come in!"

He opened the door to find Edward sitting on the closed toilet lid with a towel around his waist and shampoo still in his long hair.

"Why didn't you just stay in the shower?"

Edward wiped some suds away from his face when they started to slide towards his eyes. "Because I figured you wanted to have a long talk, and I want to conserve the hot water."

Al nodded and leaned back against the closed bathroom door, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was just going to talk to you about Daniel and I."

"Okay. What's wrong?"

Al was a little surprised that Ed had asked him that, when he knew good and well what was wrong, but he didn't say anything about that. Instead, he replied, "Well, Daniel and I haven't... uh... had sex in a few months, and I'm afraid he's getting frustrated. I'm a little scared to sleep in the same bed with him, because he might try to have sex again, and I hate turning him down."

Ed sighed and wiped the pesky suds away from his face again. "Well, I guess you can sleep with me until Al wakes up and we tell them about us. I don't mind if you don't."

Al grinned and said, "Of course I don't mind."

He walked over and kissed Ed and the cheek. "Thanks Ed. I'll let you get back to your shower now."

He turned to leave, but he was stopped by Ed's hand on his shoulder. He turned around and blushed when he saw that his brother had removed his towel.

"You could join me, Al."

Al blushed darker and asked, "Since when did you enjoy sharing showers with people?"

Ed's mischievous expression faltered a little. "Since Alfons and I showered together for the first time, back in Germany."

Al could hear the hurt in his voice and he immediately wished he hadn't asked.

"Do you still want me to-"

Edward stopped him with a deep kiss, his tongue diving into the younger's mouth. Al was getting turned on by his brother's tongue, and also because he was standing in front of him completely naked.

Ed broke their kiss to say, "Yes, but only if you want to."

Al nodded and stripped quickly, climbing in the shower after his brother. They didn't do anything but hold and kiss each other, which was fine with Al. Any moment spent with his brother like this was just as good as any kind of sexual activity. It was just them, alone together, under the pleasantly warm water, his troubles with Daniel and worry for Alfons seeming to flow down the drain with the water and soap. With Edward, everything was okay.

Daniel awoke to the sound of the phone ringing, but he didn't get up to answer it. He waited for Ed or Al to get it, but when they didn't, he sighed and said, "Damn phones..."

He got out of bed and went into the kitchen as quick as he could before they hung up, stumbling a little since he was still half asleep. Finally, he reached the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this the Elric residence?"

When they all moved in together, they decided to just make things easier and use Ed and Al's name for everything, like bills and things.

"Yeah, who is this?"

"This is Alfons Heiderich's neurologist. You and your friends need to come down right away. There's something you need to see." 


	9. Amnesia?

Daniel's heart leaped in his chest, from both excitement and fear. What if Alfons was awake and well? But, on the other hand, what if he was in worse condition, or, even more horrible, dead?

"Okay, I'll tell my friends, and we'll be down right away."

He hung up the phone and sped walked to Edward's room, not bothering to knock. He opened the door, and the room was empty. He heard the shower running in the bathroom, so one of them was taking a shower, but if that was the case, then why wasn't the other somewhere in the room instead of in the bathroom with whichever brother it was? He couldn't hear voices, so they weren't just having a conversation.

_What are they doing in there?_

He knocked on the bathroom door to see what was up.

In the steamy bathroom, behind the shower curtain, the brothers were jolted apart from their hug when someone knocked on the door. Al gasped as he realized the only person it could be was Daniel.

"Shit... What are we going to do, Edward?"

Ed gave his little brother a smile. "Don't worry. It'll be okay." But his smile was forced; he was just as nervous as Al about what Daniel would think of them being in the shower together. His throat tightened as he realized that the end of their deception could be nearing, and sooner than he expected. He felt like a fool, though. He should've seen it coming. Sharing a shower wasn't considered brotherly, and since Daniel knew about their past relationship, his mind could quickly make the connections between the past and present.

"Don't be stupid, Brother. There's no way he won't be suspicious!"

Ed closed his eyes an sighed. "We'll just have to deal with it, even if it means more lies."

Alphonse cursed under his breath and knocked his head against the wall. Edward ran his fingers through his brother's damp hair, rubbing his back with his other hand. Then, Daniel knocked again, and the two men got out and wrapped towels around themselves. Alphonse looked like he was going to puke, so Edward opened the door.

"Good morning, Daniel."

"Yeah, good morning. Listen, Ed. The hospital just called, and they told us to come down right away."

All of Ed's worry about what Daniel would think of them showering together left his mind, replaced with fresh worry for Alfons that made him shake all over.

"B- But why? I-Is he okay?"

"I don't know. They didn't say, but then again, I forgot to ask. The point is, you and Al need to hurry."

Edward tensed up, prepared for Daniel's questioning, but it didn't come. Instead, Daniel shut the door, leaving the brothers alone. Edward heard the bedroom door open and close, which meant he had left.

"Is Alfons okay, Brother?"

Edward was still shaking slightly when he walked to where Al stood in the corner where the shower met the wall. He lifted his brother's chin up gently so their lips met in a short and sweet kiss.

"I don't know, Al. The hospital called, and they told us to come right away. I hope he's okay..."

Al wrapped his arms around Ed's waist and kissed his chest sweetly.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine."

Once they were all dressed, they got in the car (which had been towed back home by a towing company after the fire, since it was still there after Alfons had driven it that day) and went as fast as they could without going over the speed limit to the hospital. The ride on the elevator to the top floor seemed to drag on and on, the three mens' nervousness getting more intense with each passing second. They walked down the hall to Alfons's room silently, and once they arrived outside his door, Edward took a deep breath. For the first time since they left the condo, Daniel spoke.

"He's going to be okay, Edward. I'm sure of it."

Edward smiled at him, a wordless 'thank you', and pushed the door open to see Alfons sitting up in bed, conscious and appearing to be well again. Edward's heart leaped with joy when he saw his best friend awake again, and a tear even escaped his eye.

"Al... How're you feeling?"

Alfons didn't smile or show any sort of happiness to see them. He just gave Ed and the others a confused look.

"I'm sorry, but do I know any of you?"

Edward chuckled a little. "Same old Alfons. Always joking. So, are you feeling okay?" He walked to the edge of the hospital bed and put his flesh hand on Al's head to ruffle his hair, but Alfons reached up and grabbed his wrist and moved it off of his head forcefully.

"What are you doing? I mean, not to be rude, but I have no idea who you are."

"Alfons, what are you talking about? I'm Edward! Don't you recognize me?"

Alfons shook his head sadly. "No, I don't know anyone named Edward."

The three men stood in stunned silence, which was interrupted by the neurologist coming in.

"Oh, I wish I had gotten here sooner... Gentlemen, I'm afraid that Mr. Heiderich has amnesia, caused by that rail hitting his head. The coma didn't help things either; he may have permanent memory loss, since he was in a coma for more than 24 hours. The coma caused some quite... substantial... brain damage, but nothing life threatening."

Edward made a small choking sound, his world crashing down around him.

His eyes turned dark, and his bangs covered his face. He shook all over as he muttered softly,

"So you're telling me that he doesn't remember me, or our time together? 7 years, gone! DAMMIT!"

He sunk to the floor, his face in his hands. He didn't cry, though. An eerie silence fell over the room, interrupted by Alphonse.

"He really doesn't know us?"

The doctor shook his head. "If his memory returns, it will take a long time. But, as I said, this may be permanent."

From the bed, Alfons asked, "So, I_ do_ know these people? Interesting." He sighed and scratched at the bandage on his head and turned to Edward.

"Edward... That's your name, right?"

Ed looked up and nodded without a sound.

"How do I know you? Where did we meet? Were we friends?"

Alphonse helped Edward get to his feet; he walked over to the bed and gave Al a sad smile.

"It's a long story, Alfons."

"Well, I'd like to hear it."

Before Edward could say no, the doctor intervened.

"Not now, Alfons. You and Edward and the others can catch up later. Right now, I need to talk to them in private."

Al smiled at them. "Okay. I'll be waiting!"

Ed's heart broke a little. He missed Alfons already, and they only just found out about his amnesia. Alfons had been his best friend for seven years, and it hurt to know that every bit of that time was gone. Memories of their relationship were gone. Edward wondered if Alfons would ever remember anything.

The doctor led them out of the room and down the hall to the waiting room on the other side of the large double doors. He motioned for them to sit down on a nearby couch, and he took a seat in an armchair in front of them.

"As I said, Alfons's amnesia may be permanent. To make sure he's okay and that his brain isn't damaged worse than we thought, we'll need to keep him here under surveillance for a couple of months, at least. But if his memory returns, we'll be able to discharge him, and he should be fine. We'll discuss regular visits to me if he recovers."

Edward propped his elbow up on his thigh and rested his chin on his clenched fist.

"So, how much of a chance is there for his memory returning?"

The doctor sighed and adjusted his glasses. "I'd say... about a 15% chance. Keep in mind that if he hadn't been in a coma, the chance would be much higher. It might've been back by tomorrow."

Edward stood up and cracked his knuckles, something he usually did when he was stressed out but trying to remain calm. "Do what you have to do, doctor." Alphonse and Daniel stood up beside him. The doctor walked them to the elevator and rode down to lobby with them.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen. If he makes any sort of improvement, I'll call you right away. And feel free to visit him any time."

The brothers and Daniel said goodbye and left, walking to the car in silence. Nobody spoke on the drive back to the condo, either. Each man man was lost in his own thoughts, but they were all focused around the same question: Was Alfons ever going to remember them again?

Later that night, Alphonse was sitting on Edward's bed reading a book when Daniel came in. He had a tray with cookies and milk on it; he set the tray on Edward's dresser and sat down beside Al.

"I brought you a snack, my love." He rubbed a hand down Al's back, and he felt his boyfriend's muscles tense up. He looked at Al's face, and saw sadness, and maybe even a hint of a silent apology, in his olive eyes.

"Alphonse, what's wrong? You've been acting funny since the night we got home from the restaurant."

Al moved away from Daniel silently, ashamed to even be in his presence. He was a cheater, and he didn't deserve Daniel's concern.

_I'm turning into Edward. When will Brother let this madness end? I can't take much more..._

"Is it because I tried to have sex with you that night? Was I too forceful? I'm sorry, I thought you liked being with me..."

_Damn it... Now he thinks I don't like sleeping with him._

"Daniel, it's nothing like that. Well, it is, and it isn't."

He gasped as he felt Daniel grab him by the arms and swiftly pin him down on the bed. Alphonse couldn't do anything but stare into his blue, diamond-like eyes.

"Alphonse, tell me what's happening. Now. If it's something I did, I need to know!"

Alphonse pushed his hands up against Daniel's chest and shoved him off.

"I can't tell you, Daniel! Not now, and probably not anytime soon!"

Daniel backed away from the bed and whispered, "I'll understand, whatever it is, Al."

Al got up and approached the black haired man with a desperate look in his eyes.

"Please, just go, before I accidentally tell you."

Daniel frowned and narrowed his eyes and left the room without another word. Alphonse lay back down on the bed and buried his face in the pillow, tears staining it.

"How much longer can I do this?"

Just then, Edward came in. He had been in the living room reading too. When he saw Al's body heaving with sobs, he rushed over right away and lifted the younger man's body and pulled him close, holding his head close to his chest. Edward didn't even have to ask what had happened. He had seen Daniel leave the room, looking angry. As Al cried harder, he tried desperately to make out coherent words.

"B-B-Brother... can't d-do this..."

Edward kissed the the top of his head and stroked the brunette locks.

"Shh... I know, Al. I know."

He couldn't keep in his own tears as he realized what he was doing to his little brother. The amount of pressure he was putting on the younger sibling was enormous. Tell Daniel about his cheating, and feel terrible. Keep lying, and feel just as terrible. There was no way to win in their situation. He hugged Al tighter and kissed his head over and over again, all the while thinking,

_I'm a terrible brother. I allowed this to happen. I could've ignored my feelings and tried to make him ignore his, but I let my feelings get in the way, just like last time._

**A/N: Woah, this was long! I hope any readers I have are enjoying things so far! And guess what? I've done it again! I've written more smut! This time around, it's Elricest! It takes place about right here in the story. If you're uncomfortable with reading such things, that's perfectly fine. You will still understand the story.**

43119349-more-than-just-brothers


	10. The Ugly Truth

Warning: Implied adult themes.

"Ah! Alphonse!"

Daniel sat straight up in bed when he heard a loud shout from Edward's room, which was right next to his. It sounded a lot like the way he himself used to call out Al's name when he and Al used to...

_No. They can't be._

Every hair on Daniel's neck rose when he heard another shout, followed by a couple of loud moans, this time from Alphonse.

"Brother!"

Daniel's mouth fell open. "They can't be," he repeated, this time aloud. But it sure sounded like they were. Why else would they shout each other's names like that?

_And it's not that surprising, honestly. Before Al and I met, they were in a relationship. I guess it was only a matter of time before they started wanting _that_ from each other, since they weren't able to have it when Al was in his armor._

But as he thought those thoughts so nonchalantly in his head, his heart was breaking; his boyfriend dumped him for his own brother, and they were sleeping together!

_That's what Alphonse has been hiding from me.  
_  
He fell back into the mattress with a soft_ thump _and closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep, but all he could do was replay Alphonse's cry over and over and over in his mind. He wished their rooms weren't so close; if he hadn't heard them, everything would've been okay.

Finally, he let the tears fall down his face and off to the side onto the sheets. The thing that hurt the most, he determined, was the fact that Al thought he couldn't come to him about it. If Alphonse had just said something earlier, they could've worked something out. But it was too late for that now.

I'll have to talk to them in the morning, whether Al wants to or not. I'm done with these damn games. 

Alphonse woke up that morning surrounded by warmth and the pleasant smell of Edward that never got old; his big brother was cuddled up next to him. But inside, a giant weight sat in his stomach, not letting him take pleasure in spending time like this with his beloved brother.

_Yeah... I definitely messed up last night..._

There was no way that Daniel couldn't have heard their pleasured exclamations and moans. They had done nothing to keep it quiet. But he had initiated last night to show Edward how much he cared for him.

Still, he had no clue as to how he was going to face the black haired man that morning. He decided it was best to keep Ed out of it; this was their conflict, not his.

He shifted away from Ed gently and crawled out of bed, tucking the covers up against Ed softly to preserve the warmth that lingered. He went to the bathroom to relieve himself and clean up a little. Once he was done, he tiptoed to the door and opened it as quietly as he could, leaving the room with his breath held and his hands shaking as he shut the door behind him.

Daniel heard the soft click of a door behind him from where he sat on the couch that faced away from the bedrooms.

"Daniel?"

That timid voice made his heart leap into his throat in a painful way. He listened to the soft sound of Al's bare feet padding on the carpet, walking towards him.

"Alphonse, I need to talk to you and Edward."

He heard Al's footsteps stall at the mention of discussing the previous night.

"Leave Edward out of this. It's not his fault."

Daniel clenched his fists and stood up quickly, spinning around to face the younger Elric, eyes flashing in anger.

"How is it not his fault? You had sex with him, Alphonse! He could've talked some sense into you, but he didn't! What kind of _responsible_ older brother promotes cheating?!"

Without warning, Al lunged at him, jumping over the couch and slamming into Daniel. They fell to the floor with a loud crash, more than loud enough to wake Edward, if their shouting hadn't first.

"Don't talk about Edward like that! He cares more about me than he does himself, and he is the most responsible man I've ever known!"

Daniel squirmed in Al's tight grasp, growling when he couldn't get free.

"You guys are brothers, anyway! Do you have any idea how sick that is?!"

Al's angry expression turned into one of confusion. "Before you and I got together, you said you didn't have a problem with Ed and I being together!" Then his pissed off expression returned, and he stated with an air of matter-of-factness, "My brother and I are sinners anyway, so what's the point in trying to change the fact that we're going to hell? What's one more sin?"

Daniel ignored that last comment and said, "Yeah, well, that was before you cheated on me with him! If you weren't going to be loyal in this relationship, you should've just stayed with him! He can obviously give you much more than I can, as I heard last night!"

Al scowled, tossing his bangs out of his eyes.

"You don't know my reasons for last night, Daniel, so just shut the hell up!"

Daniel finally got his arm out of Al's grip; he shoved Al off of him roughly, Al's spine connecting with the bottom of the couch behind him. He stood up, and this time, Daniel took control. He grabbed Al by the shoulders and shoved him down onto the couch and leaned over him.

"Then what were your so-called reasons, Alphonse?" Daniel hissed.

"Let me up, and I'll tell you."

"No. You've had things your way for too long. Tell me everything. Right. Now."

Al reached a hand up and was about to try to shove Daniel off when they were interrupted by Edward pulling Daniel off of Al. He slammed Daniel into the wall nearby face first, pinning his hands behind his back.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my brother, Daniel." Then he looked over to Al. "What the fuck is going on here?"

Al sat up and spoke quietly.

"Daniel knows, Edward."

Ed's eyes widened and he gasped. Then he directed his words at Daniel.

"You heard us last night, didn't you?"

Daniel just nodded; he was shaking slightly, from both fear and anger. Edward really scared him when he turned aggressive like that.

"Daniel, I... I didn't want you to-"

"Edward."

He was interrupted by Alphonse shushing him.

"I've lied to him all this time. I should be the one to explain."

Edward hesitated for a moment before unpinning Daniel, brushing his golden bangs out of his face. He reached into his shorts pocket and pulled a tie out, tying his hair up in its usual ponytail. Daniel walked slowly to the couch and sat down on the end away from Alphonse. Al turned to face the other man, and began his explanation.

"Daniel, there's countless ways I could sugarcoat this, but that would be pretty pointless now that you know the whole ugly truth. So, I'll just explain the truth a bit better." He paused to collect his thoughts, and Edward rubbed his back for support.

"This all started about four months ago. I could feel myself becoming more attracted to Edward, but I tried to fight it with every bone in my body, because the last thing I wanted was to be unfaithful to you. But then, one night, Edward told me to meet him on the couch because he needed to talk with me about something. So, I snuck out of bed and met him on the couch. Long story short, we kissed and... did other things. Not what we did last night, but it was sexual, and it was the first time we had ever done anything sexual together, I promise. And we didn't do anything else like that again until last night."

Daniel sighed and gave him the smallest hint of a smile. "I believe you, Al. Keep going."

"Ok. Anyway, after that night, we couldn't keep our feelings down any longer. We knew it was wrong, and we felt guilty the whole time, but we love each other, and that's all there is to it. And you weren't wrong about how I should've stayed with Edward." He smiled at Edward, and the elder Elric took his little brother's hand. "He's all I've ever wanted. I'm just sorry I had to hurt you to find that out, Daniel."

Alphonse sighed and leaned his head against the back of the couch before speaking again.

"And, to answer your question, I wanted to have sex with Edward last night because I needed to prove to him that he's not a terrible person for cheating on Alfons; he was feeling just as guilty as, if not more than, I was. He needed to be shown the amount of love that he shows me all the time. It's my responsibility to make sure he never forgets how much I love him."

Daniel nodded and stood up. Without a word, he closed the space between him and Al and kissed him on the cheek softly.

"I wish you and your brother the best, Alphonse. I know you never wanted to hurt me. The love between you and your brother is meant to be, and I would be an ass to be mad at you guys."

He disappeared into his bedroom, leaving the Elric brothers alone. Edward took a seat on the couch next to Alphonse and kissed his lips gently.

"I'm proud of you, Al. That took a lot of courage."

Al smiled and brushed his bangs away from his eyes. "Yeah, it did. It started out pretty nasty, but once you got here, we both calmed down." He lay his head on Ed's shoulder, and their fingers intertwined. But Ed soon broke the peaceful silence.

"So, last night, you did that just for me?"

"Of course I did. I couldn't stand seeing you hurt like that any longer. Besides, I've been wanting to do that with you for a long time." He rubbed his free hand over Ed's chest, making circles. "You're so beautiful, Brother," Al purred.

Edward sighed softy at the feeling of his brother's hand on his bare chest; he kissed the top of Al's head and said, "You're the beautiful one, Al."

He shifted them around so that Edward was leaning over Al, who lay on his back on the soft couch. Edward leaned down and captured Al's lips in a kiss, running his tongue along his brother's lips, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. Al silently obliged, opening his mouth slightly, moaning softly as Ed's tongue curled around his own.

Soon, though, they were interrupted by Daniel's bedroom door opening. They broke apart, Edward quickly resuming a sitting position and helping Al sit up as well. Daniel was fully dressed in a pair of black pants and a blue vest that perfectly complimented his eyes, with a black long sleeved shirt under it. In one hand, he held his jacket, and in the other, he grasped a suitcase.

"Guys, I'm going to miss you, but it's time I went my own way."

Al stood up abruptly. "What are you talking about?"

Daniel smiled and said softly, "There's too many memories here. I need to start my life over. You understand, right?"

Al sighed. "I guess I do, Daniel. It's not healthy for you to stay here after all the deception. But I'll miss you."

Edward stood up and added, "Yeah. It was nice to meet you, and it was a pleasure to be your friend."

Dan chuckled a little. "This isn't goodbye forever. I'm sure we'll meet again. I'll be around town for a few weeks until we know more about what'll happen to Alfons."

Without another word, he left the condo on the sand for good, the door clicking shut softly behind him.

The brothers stared at the door for a few more seconds, as if they were waiting to see if he would come back. When he didn't, they sat back down on the couch, silence blanketing the spacious living room. Edward silently pulled Al's face towards him, and their lips met gently. The remained like that for a few minutes, their lips pressing together sweetly.

"Alphonse, are you okay?"

"Of course I am, Brother. Why wouldn't I be?"

Ed threw his real arm around Al's shoulders casually. "Well, Daniel's gone. I thought you might be upset."

Al smiled at his brother. "I was at first, but then I remembered what you told me a couple of days ago: everything happens for a reason. Daniel was obviously meant to leave us, just like Alfons was meant to have amnesia."

Edward hugged his little brother close. "You know, Al, I think you're right. Wanna go take a shower and go see Alfons?"

Al nodded, so they got up and went to their bathroom to get cleaned up for the day.

_Alfons was overwhelmed by the amount of pleasure he was feeling, and the blond man below him wasn't going to last much longer. Soon, they both released, Alfons flopping on top of the other man and drifting into a deep slumber. The next day. He awoke to see the attractive blond below him smiling. He then blushed madly when he realized he hadn't removed a certain part of himself from the other man's body. Soon, they were in a bathroom, and he was cradling this man as he sobbed, and then, just as quickly, they were in the shower together._

Alfons woke with a start. He had had another one of those dreams. He was confused, but at the same time, it all became clear.

"Edward is my... boyfriend?" 


	11. The End?

Edward knocked on Alfons's hospital room door, and entered with Al when he heard him call, "Come in!" Ed and Al set the box down on the floor next to Alfons's bed; they had brought a few of his smaller rockets to try and rekindle any memories they could. But they didn't know that Alfons had already had a few memories restored, and had discovered some quite shocking things about his and Edward's past.

"Hello, Ed, Al. What brings you here today?"

Edward pulled a rocket out of the box and placed it in Alfons's hands. "We're going to teach you about rockets."

Alfons smiled, but inside, his insides twisted nervously. Should he talk to Edward about what he had discovered? What would Edward do if he kissed him, the way he really wanted to? He decided that now wasn't the best time, especially since his brother was with him. For some reason, he sensed something between the brothers that was... strange, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Sounds fun. But why rockets?"

"This was your job, Alfons. You loved these rockets more than anything."

_But I loved you more, I think._

Al examined the cylindrical device in his hands, inhaling the faint aroma of smoke that still lingered from when he had, long ago, launched them into the air. He suddenly longed to do that once again, to light the fuse and watch with a contentment as his creations soared into the sky like birds of flame... His bright blue eyes widened and he gasped.

"I remember these, Edward. I remember!"

Ed grabbed his hands and looked him in the eyes. "You do? Really?"

Al's stomach filled with butterflies at the other man's touch. "Yeah, I do! My rockets... I love them!"

He wished then that Alphonse would leave so he could talk to Edward about their relationship. He wanted to know more. Did Edward still love him? Did he still want them to be together?

"Uh... Al, do you think you could leave me and Ed alone for a moment?"

Ed and Alphonse gave each other a puzzled look, but Al obliged and left.

"What was that for, Al? Is something wrong?"

"Well, there's something we need to talk about. Come here, Edward." He patted a spot on the bed beside him, and Edward took a seat. Without a word, Alfons leaned in slowly and pressed his lips against Edward's. Ed's eyes widened in shock, and he pulled away.

"Alfons... you remember that too?"

"Edward, I had a dream about us last night. I remember now how much I loved you, and I want us to be like that again. Can we, Edward?"

To his surprise, tears began to form in Edward's eyes. That wasn't what he was expecting at all. "Edward, what's wrong?" Ed's hands clenched into fists, and a nervous sweat broke out on his forehead.

"W-We can't, Alfons."

"What do you mean?"

"I... I don't f-feel that way about you anymore."

"But..."

Edward's voice cracked, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm s-  
sorry."

Al's heart shattered into a million shards. "Edward, is it because I got hurt? I know I lost my memories, but I definitely remember how much you mean to me."

He tried to brush Ed's bangs out of his face, but Ed dodged the affectionate gesture.

"I love somebody else, Al. I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

A tear fell from Al's eye onto the sheets below him. "Edward... I-I... All I w-wanted... was you..." 

Edward unlocked the door of the condo and kicked his boots off and to the side angrily, feeling like the biggest pile of shit that ever existed. Alphonse entered behind him and shut the door quietly, picking up Edward's boots and placing them in the coat closet nearby. He watched silently as Edward stormed off into his room, slamming the door hard enough to crack a window; Al even glanced at the windows to make sure they were intact. He sighed and sat down on the couch with a grunt, leaning forward with his face in his hands.

He really had no idea what he and Edward would do now. They weren't expecting Alfons to get his memory back so soon, and they definitely didn't expect him to remember his feelings for Edward. Alphonse thought back to the hospital earlier that day. He had been gone from the room for about 20 minutes, and he figured that it was okay to go back. But when he opened the door to the room once again, the cheerful, hopeful air had shifted into a dark, sorrowful atmosphere. Edward and Alfons were both in tears, Alfons being cradled by Edward. Al didn't have to question what had happened; it was obvious, the way Alfons clung to Edward, wetting his brother's shirt with tears. Those sort of tears only came from a broken heart.

Alphonse sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes, countless thoughts and concerns and fears running through his mind like rats in a maze. Would Alfons ever get over his love sickness and accept the way things were? Alphonse couldn't say. Right then, he didn't know what to do. He had a feeling that any efforts to reassure Edward would be met denial and probably an argument, and that was the last thing they needed in this mess. So, he decided to stay where he was, alone on the couch.

Would Edward ever get over his guilt? More than likely, it would be with him until the day he died, but he would suppress it for Alphonse's sake. Alphonse would never stop trying to make his brother understand that it wasn't his fault, and he would always be there for him when he needed a shoulder to cry on. He would love his brother forever, and he was determined to never let him forget it.

Alphonse got up and stretched and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 9:00 at night; it was almost bedtime, but he still had to get Alfons's room ready for him. The doctor was going to let him come home tomorrow. Hopefully, everything would go over smoothly. Of course, it would always be awkward between the three of them, but maybe Alfons could get past everything and, hopefully, learn to forgive the brothers. 

After making Alfons's bed and doing some general tidying up, Al yawned sleepily and looked at the clock again. It was a little after 10, so he entered the room he shared with Edward quietly and tiptoed to the bathroom so he wouldn't wake his brother up.

Once he had showered and was ready to come to bed, instead of planning ahead about how he should approach Edward, he decided to just wing it. If Ed wanted comfort or any physical interaction, Al would wait for Ed to give him the 'okay'.

Edward wasn't deeply asleep; he had just dozed off waiting for Al, so he was easily awakened when his younger sibling shifted the sheets to crawl under and when his body weight shook the mattress. Edward rubbed his eyes and tried to give Al a genuine smile, even though his heart was ripped apart inside from all the guilt.

"Hey, Al. What have you been up to?"

Al lay his head on the pillow, sinking into the cool sheets. He reached over to the nightstand and turned the lamp off.

"I was straightening Alfons's room. You forgot to make the bed the last time you slept there, and there was laundry of his that needed to be hung up."

Edward made a small sound similar to 'oh'.

It was silent in the cool, dark bedroom where the Elric brothers lay, and neither of them were ready to fall asleep yet. Edward's mind had a nasty habit of replaying the bad events in his life during the night and twisting them into terrible nightmares, and Alphonse just didn't feel like sleeping for some reason. Well, he knew the reason. Even though he kept his distance from Ed like he knew he should, he wanted nothing but to hold Edward, to kiss him all over and tell him it was okay, that Alfons didn't hate him, and that he would forgive him.

Al sighed and rolled over on to his left side, staring at a random spot on the wall. "Goodnight, Brother."

"Al, don't go to sleep yet, please?"

Al flipped onto his other side to face Edward. "What? Why?"

Edward had the smallest trace of a smile as he reached forward and moved Al's bangs out of his eyes with his false hand. Al smiled and, taking the affectionate gesture as the 'okay' he needed, scooted closer to his beloved older brother, kissing Ed deeply. He felt Edward's arms encircle him around his abdomen, and Al broke the kiss and snuggled close, burying his face in Ed's bare chest. Ed planted a kiss to Al's head.

"I love you, Alphonse."

Alphonse grinned and replied, "I love you more, Edward. Never forget that, okay?"

Al didn't move his face to look at Edward; he felt the older man nod his head. Soon, they were both asleep. Alphonse didn't know it, but he had succeeded in easing Ed's guilt. Not much, but Edward knew with his little brother by his side, he would be okay.

**A/N: This might be the final chapter, but I'm not sure. I'm focusing my efforts on Melodic Alchemist at the moment, so a final chapter may or may not happ. Keep an eye out in case I do!**

**And I would like to say thank you to everyone who read this fic and the previous one and to the people who liked them, whether you reviewed or not. It makes me feel good inside that someone out there likes my writing 3**

**P.S: I FINALLY learned how to do page breaks! I know it's too late now for this sttory, si expect them in Melodic Alchemist, those of you who are reading that.**


	12. Final Chapter

**Here is the conclusion to this fic. I hope you all enjoyed the ride, because there will not be another one. Thanks to all my readers, I love you all :D**

Alfons woke up in an empty bed, as usual. He missed Edward every morning, but he could do nothing about it. He would just have to keep up his appearance of being okay with the way things were; he had to keep letting Ed and Al think he was stronger than he was.

He had to be grateful to the brothers, though. When Alfons was around, they kept their affections to a minimum, never going further than small pecks on the cheek, which was a very good thing. Alfons didn't know if he could handle knowing what went on between the brothers when it came to their romantic lives.

While the brothers were as quiet as they could in the bedroom, Alfons still heard the occasional moan or words of love. When he was unfortunate enough to hear, he would curl up under the covers in his bed and rest his head on the pillow Ed used to use, and he would cry pathetically. But he would never tell the brothers about the sins he could hear committed in that bedroom. There wasn't a point in making them feel guilty. Al knew Ed's guilt over cheating on him would never go away, and Al certainly didn't want to make things worse. Ed needed to know he had Alfons's approval of his new relationship.

No matter how painful it was, he loved Edward enough to live with silent adoration for the attractive blond, and he didn't mind keeping it silent.

As for his rocketry career, things were actually looking up. Despite the fire that wiped out all their research, he and Dr. Smith were well on their way to restoring the research that was lost, and even making a few tweaks along the way to improve things. It was all that kept Alfons going everyday, his only reason for getting up in the morning.

He thought back to the way things had been in the beginning, when he had first come home from the hospital and was forced to sleep in an empty bed for the first time in five years. He cried all night until he finally passed out at three in the morning. Then he had slept all day and had woken to a welcome home dinner prepared by Edward. As he sat at the table eating, he could see in Edward's eyes the attempt he was making at restoring peace in the household. He saw pity in those golden orbs, and his whole body radiated guilt over Alfons's broken emotional state.

But the past was the past. Alfons had to move on.

He got out of bed and took a shower. Then he dressed himself in a pair of black slacks and a white button up shirt with his usual suspenders and went to breakfast. Alphonse was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper while Edward leaned over a pan of sizzling eggs. Al smiled at him.

"Morning, Alfons."

Ed turned around and smiled as well.

"Are you hungry, Al?"

Alfons nodded. "Yeah, sure."

They ate breakfast in silence, avoiding eye contact with each other whenever possible. Alfons sighed softly and thought,

_Will it always be this awkward?_

~~~~~~~~~

"If we connect these parts to the engine with wires made of a stronger material, they should be able to withstand the stress being put on them, and hopefully it won't explode."

Dr. Smith nodded as Alfons explained his new ideas for their rocket.

"Mmhmm... Yes, brilliant, as always, my boy. I think we can start construction immediately." The older man clapped him on the back, and Al genuinely smiled for the first time in a long time.

"You think so, sir?"

"Of course I do. Let's order the parts as soon as possible!"

Alfons grinned happily. "I'll get right on it, sir!"

With that, he rushed into his office and started calculating all the parts he'd need to assemble the rocket. The grin never left his face as he picked up the phone to place the order for the parts.

_We're actually going into space... We're going to do it!_

**I apollogize if the ending was a bit lacking in material and substance, but I honestly am out of ideas. I hope this wasn't too terribly disappointing.**


End file.
